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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. chip — for betting
  3. can — a tin
  4. can — to be able to
  5. chip — to eat
  6. can — a tin
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pass — a permit
  9. drill — army training
  10. present — the time now
  11. drill — a practice
  12. drill — the tool
  13. present — there
  14. shower — rain
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cold — an illness
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. cold — not warm
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. shower — to wash
  23. rest — what's left
  24. present — a gift

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com